Frameing a mirror

I am new and inexperienced. I have a mirror that I want to frame but I think that attaching the mirror will be beyond my capabilities. Has anyone any ideas on how I can build a frame from molding and just place it around the mirror? I would appreciate any suggestions.

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Frameing a mirror

You will want to use some sort of miter saw and picture frame molding for this. The framing store where you buy the molding will probably cut it for you for free or cheap. The glass in mirrors tends to be heavy so you will need molding heavy enough to support it and/or some sort of backing material. You will want to use glazing clips to hold the glass and backing in place and depending on size, you may have to brace the back.

If it is a large mirror consider mounting it to the wall and trimming around it with molding so the molding itself does not carry the weight. Depending on the fastening system you use, you may have to relieve molding material around your fasteners.

Frameing a mirror

Don't know if you have already completed this project but there are several companies that offer frames for existing bathroom mirrors. I work with MirrorMate www.mirrormate.com. We offer over 40 frame styles that we custom cut to your dimensions. They are affordable and easy to install yourself. Let me know if I can be of assistance!

Frameing a mirror

Framing is tricky, because of the miter cuts and the odd cross section of the framing. Plus the miter joint is weak unless you use biscuits.

You can't tweak the mirror size and you want the rabbet slightly wider than the mirror dimensions
but the frame opening plus width to the edges of the rabbet
shouldn't be so wide that the mirror can "fall through" the opening.
Otherwise you'll need centering shims.